THE BEGINNINGS OF II FE. 323 



in 186O5 I had become aware that corpuscles^ which 

 coloured violet under the influence of iodine, frequently 

 replaced the tetrahedrons after putrefaction, but, at 

 this period, I had not seen the transition from the one 

 to the other. I was more fortunate this year. I have 

 seen the tetrahedrons themselves, containing amyla- 

 ceous matter, forming columns, tinted with the most 

 beautiful violet colour. I have seen the tetrahedrons 

 become elongated at one of their angles, and pass 

 gradually into these curious little plants, by producing a 

 cylindrical outgrowth. In t'.:iis case, the rounded or still 

 angular tetrahedron represented the bulb, but the tetra- 

 hedron occasionally became completely obliterated, and 

 left in its place only a little fusiform or cylindrical 

 vegetal organism.' 



This is indeed an example which, in point of cer- 

 tainty and freedom from possible sources of error to 

 a skilled observer, seems almost unsurpassable. If a 

 crystalline mass of matter is seen slowly to alter its 

 form and become bodily converted into a vegetating 

 organism, one could not have evidence of a more con- 

 vincing nature. Only one explanation of such a fact 

 is possible — hence M. Trecul is quite entitled to say ^ : 

 — ^De tous les faits qui precedent, il resulte que la 

 matlere organique contenue dans certatnes cellules peut se 

 transformer^ pendant la putrefaction^ en corps vivants de 

 nature tres-dijfe'rente de I e spice generatrices 



1 Log. cit., p. 435. 



y % 



